President Joe Biden on Tuesday declared a federal state of emergency in Florida, which is bracing for Tropical Storm Helene.
Forecasters predict the storm will strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico, possibly becoming a Category 3 or 4 storm before hitting Florida on Thursday.
The move allows for 41 counties to receive some federal reimbursements for expenses tied to preparations for the storm. It also authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate with state and local to ensure public safety ahead of Helene’s arrival.
Gov. Ron DeSantis had requested the disaster declaration on Monday when he issued a state of emergency for 41 counties. U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott supported the move for a federal declaration in a letter.
“In addition to strong winds and heavy rain, this approaching storm is expected to bring severe storm surge, flooding, hazardous seas and the potential for isolated tornadic activity across Florida,” the senators wrote. “Ensuring that the state has access to the federal resources it needs is imperative to protecting Floridians, property and our communities.”
Under the declaration, Alachua, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton and Washington counties can receive up to 75% federal reimbursements for evacuation and shelter support and other emergency protective measures.
DeSantis expanded the state of emergency on Tuesday to include 20 more counties. A further federal disaster declaration could add those counties, too, but hasn’t yet been issued.
As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center projected Helene to hit the Big Bend area of Florida’s Gulf Coast as a major hurricane on Thursday evening.
Earlier in the day, DeSantis and emergency management officials said they were preparing for a large storm, with the effects felt at least 200 miles away from the eye of the storm.
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66f3489be1364fa696359cc37dc5ce94&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.freep.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fhurricane%2F2024%2F09%2F24%2Fpresident-biden-approves-florida-emergency-declaration-ahead-of-helene%2F75367961007%2F&c=2572702899729113244&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-24 09:58:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.